Wrexham’s dream of playing in the Premier League will have to wait at least one more year, as they narrowly missed out on the Championship playoffs on Saturday.
The Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac-owned club, which has earned promotions in three successive seasons, entered the final day of the season in sixth place in the Championship, the second tier of English soccer.
However, following a back-and-forth 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough, the Red Dragons dropped to seventh — two points behind Hull City and just one place off the final playoff spot.
The top two teams in the Championship (Coventry and Ipswich Town, this year) receive automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams in third to sixth place compete in a playoff for the final spot in soccer’s richest league.
Wrexham’s players were visibly dejected after the result on Saturday, though their finish this season is still the best-ever in the history of the club.
Hull were able to jump in front of Wrexham in the table after beating Norwich City 2-1 behind an Oli McBurnie brace.
However, McBurnie’s winning header in the 67th minute appeared to come from an offside position.
The Championship playoffs will begin next week, with Hull facing Millwall and Southampton playing Middlesbrough in home-and-away ties.
The playoff final — estimated to be worth over $250 million to the winning club — will then be held May 23 at Wembley Stadium.
